Why I Have Been Quiet Lately

I haven't updated the blog in awhile for two reasons. The first reason is really not much has been going on. I have been living in a proverbial "Groundhog Day." I get up at 4:15 in the morning, leave the house at 4:45 to drive an hour to work and then hand out keys all day. At 4:45 in the afternoon I get out of work and drive the hour home. I try to be in bed between 8:30 and 9 and just do the same thing over and over.

The second reason I have been quiet is because I have been in the process of joining the military....again. This time I have opted to join the U.S. Army. I have been worried that something might go wrong and as such did not want to jinx anything by telling everyone I was joining.

After two years everything came together today. These last two years have been difficult. While being on Active Duty I was trying to complete my degree while going TDY for 30 days to Vegas, two weeks in Texas. I also had a 6 week long leadership school and exercises all thrown in while trying to graduate and finish my packet.

In June I made the tough decision to get out of the Air Force even though the economy was/is on a downward slope. I took a job to put food on the table and once we were settled resumed my application process. This has take a few months but this week everything came together. Monday was a Holiday so I was able to chill. On Tuesday I got up early and was at the Military Entry Processing Station (MEPS) by 6am to get a physical. Finally at 5:00pm I was home after completing the physical and finishing my packet. Only thing left was small details, you know, crossing the "T's" and dotting all the lower case "J's". Once the packet was complete a special board was scheduled for Wednesday just for me.

Today, (Wednesday), I got up and headed back to MEPS and was there at 9:30 am in suit all ready for the board. I just couldn't believe the day had actually come. Two years ago I never thought I was going to make it this far. My time in the Air Force was really helpful with board because I already was aware of proper reporting procedures and how to sit at the position of attention. The board was really friendly and asked a wide range of questions such as "Why would you get an accounting degree just to see combat?" and "What would does your wife think?" After the board I found out I scored 75/75 and came highly recommended by all three members. Talk about a relief. Afterwards, two of the board members (Captains) pulled me into an Office where we chatted and they gave some really good career advice. It was amazing to feel like I belong in their fraternity.

Tomorrow, I will go down and sign my contract. At that point I will be told when I will ship out for OCS. I will update any information as soon as I can.

I am excited for this new chapter in our lives. Everything I have done prior to now has led me to this point. From being a missionary and learning about service before self to being enlisted and understanding the vital role enlisted personnel have in the military. I feel all this has given me the experience to be a good leader. I am humbled to think that the lives of my fellow soldiers will one day rest on the decisions I make.

What's Happening?

After completly slacking off I thought I could at least give a short update on the blog. Bottom line, things have been pretty quiet. I have been working quite a bit out in Tooele and that takes up most of my time. I have to be at work at 5:45 in the morning so that requires me to leave the house at around 4:45. By the time I get home at 5:45pm I am pretty well spent. When faced with the option of spending time with the family or updating a blog I have been opting for the family.

We have also joined a Rec Center which is only 1.5 miles aways. For those who remember the St. Peters Rec Plex, this place is just like it. So we have been going swimming quite a bit. The girls love it and it always helps to burn off some extra energy at night.

Last night we went to the Greek Festival in Salt Lake City. I've been to a few, but this one was massive compared to all the others. We even splurged the 5 bucks and had valet parking. The line for the food was stupid long but we still managed to get some awesome lamb.

Hopefully I can do better about updating the blog.

Happiness

For My Sisters

Kind of an inside joke, Penny and Kitty did this routine and it was always funny. At least they thought it was funny.

Can anything else happen?

Well, it has been an eventful week. It has been the first week where I have actually felt like myself....(the past two weeks I have had bronchitis). So, just when I start to get back in the swing of things we noticed something peculiar. In our checking account we noticed an odd transaction. Jake being curious, was wondering if I had a little bit of fun and had forgotten to tell him. To make a long story short.... a man named, Ki Ki, had bought a one-way ticket from Montreal to Quebec City through Air Canada for $134. Of course, it had to happen a day before a car insurance were to come out....luckily, Geico was very nice to work with us. However, we have to wait about 10 days to get our money back, which STINKS! To make it worst, what ever little funds we have we cannot use because we are waiting for new debit cards since our info has been compromised. It's nice to know that our bank can't even show us the decency to overnight cards to us.... we have to wait 5-7 business days. Not to mention Jake at the moment is at an Urgent Care facility, taking Bethany to get a popcorn kernal out of her ear! What is with our girls and popcorn kernals? So, needless to say, I think popcorn is going to be completely banished from our house forever.

Ronaldus Magnus

On this Fourth of July I was reflecting on how great our country is and those individuals who were instrumental in its greatness. People like George Washington, John Adams, Bob Hope and of course Ronald Reagan.

For Father's Day Katie got me the Reagan Diaries and I have enjoyed reading the thoughts of Ronaldus. These were his personal feelings not a P.R. stunt. He was not writing his journal with the intent to increase his approval ratings. With that in mind here is an excerpt from his journal, this was written March 30, 1981.

"My day to address the Bldg. & Const. Trades Nat. Conf. A.F.L.-C.I.O at the Hilton Ballroom---2 P.M. Was all dressed to go & for some reason at the last. min took off my really good wrist watch and wore an older one.

Speech not riotously received--still it was successful.

Left the hotel at the usual side entrance and headed for the car--suddenly there was a burst of gun fire from the left. S.S. Agent pushed me onto the floor of the car & jumped on top. I felt a blow in my upper back that was unbelievably painful. I was sure he'd broken my rib. The car took off. I sat up on the edge of the seat almost paralyzed by pain. Then I began coughing up blood which made both of us think--yes I had a broken & it had punctured a lung. He switched orders from W.H. to Geo. Wash. U. Hosp.

By the time we arrived I was having a great trouble getting enough air. We did not know that Tim McCarthy (S.S.) had been shot in the chest, Jim Brady in the head & a policeman Tom Delahanty in the neck.

I walked into the emergency room and was hoisted onto a cart where I was stripped of my clothes. It was then we learned I'd been shot & had a bullet in my lung.

Getting shot hurts. Still my fear was growing because no matter how hard I tried to breathe it seemed I was getting less and less air. I focused on that tiled ceiling and prayed. But I realized I couldn't ask for Gods help while at the same time I felt hatred for the mixed up young man who had shot me. Isn't that the meaning of the lost sheep? We are all Gods children and therefore equally beloved by him. I began to pray for his soul and that he would find his way back to the fold.

I opened my eyes once to find Nancy there. I pray I'll never face a day when she isn't there. Of all the ways God has blessed me giving her to me is the greatest beyond anything I can ever hope to deserve.

....Whatever happens now I owe my life to God and will try to serve him in every way I can."

I feel this is a wonderful insight to Reagans true character. What made Reagan so great? I feel it was his love of God, Country and his family. He had a desire to do good and not worry about his legacy. Remember our politicians receive their authority from us, the people. We have the duty to find out if our politicians are seeking to serve our country or to satisfy their need for power.

Our country is great and will remain so as long as the government understands that our greatness is with the individual.

Are You the Gate Keeper?

I am the Key Master. At least at work anyway. I started my job on the 15th of June and shortly thereafter discovered I am the Key Master of the Tooele Army Depot. Let me explain, the Depot is a weapons storage facility which supports the entire Department of Defense. My primary duty is handling the 3,000+ keys to pretty much the entire Depot. When I am not dealing with keys I work on tracking ammunition movements and classifications. This is a fancy way of saying "Data Entry." That is my job in a nutshell. The job is not bad and I really can't complain. I must admit the transition to civilian life has been awkward. Showing up to work in blue jeans and a t-shirt is nice and I didn't even shave on Thursday and Friday and nobody said a thing. Another tidbit about the job is the pay. I must confess I was a little worried about the pay. But I figured since the Depot works 4 ten hour shifts, I could always find a side job on the weekend. Little did I know that since my position supports the entire depot I am guaranteed 30 minutes of O.T. everyday and 10.5 hours of O.T. every Friday. With the O.T. I just got myself a hefty little raise.

Overall, the job is going good. We are still trying to get settled in which has been difficult with the kids getting sick and Katie getting bronchitis (one week prior to our health insurance kicking in, Murphy sucks). On a political side note, even though we didn't have Health Insurance Katie still was able to see a Doc for a reasonable price. I thought people without health insurance were having a crisis?

From the West Coast

I have actually been in bed about to fall asleep when I will be thinking of some really funny or even inspirational thoughts. However, when I sit down to update the blog I can't think of anything from the night before and usually just post a weird video.

For this update, I will attempt to describe the events over the last few weeks.

As most people know my tenure in the Air Force has come to an end. With the end near I began looking for any line of work possible. Starting in March I applied at so many different companies ranging from Pixar to Boeing. The first call I recieved was around the middle of April from the Tooele Army Depot. We did a phone interview (that I did not feel good about until after they called me back to offer me more details on the position) and shortly thereafter I recieved a tentative offer. The tentaive offer was based on a drug screen, physical and security. Since I already have a security clearance that part went smoothly. The physical however, was a pain. Not because of any medical issues, but because I was already on terminal leave (paid time off for those of you in Rio Linda). The medical clinic on base was giving me the run around, local docs were being stupid and trying to set me up as a "new patient" even though all I needed was a physical. To make a long story short, I managed to get into a canceled appointment on base and the Doc signed off on the 15 pages of forms I had recieved.

I faxed the physical (which included the drug screen) off to Tooele,UT then began the process of moving. By the end of May the movers had loaded the truck and on May 29th we left in two cars, one of which was pulling a trailer, to drive the 2100 miles from Southern Georgia to Tooele,UT.

I had the trip planned out, if we could average 12 hour days we could have done the trip in 3 days and 2 nights. The girls had different plans. After 4 days and 3 nights we pulled into my mom's in Tooele.

Once arriving we went to check out our house and assess the amount of cleanup and repairs required before moving in. The house needed a little TLC and not to mention some plumbing work. The plumbing needed to be completed prior to moving in and finally on Thursday the plumbers came out and most importantly the internet got hooked up. With the house ready, we cleaned out of my Moms on Friday morning and last night we spent our first night in Bountiful, UT.

Which brings me back to the job. After faxing all my stuff off I hadn't heard from the HR guy. I'm beginning to wonder if I still even had a job. Finally, last Tuesday I get a call from the guy informing me the Doc in Georgia didn't sign in all the required places and they did not want to medically clear me. Luckily, since I was here I was able to go see the Doctor at the Depot and he cleared me. I left the clinic, called the guy and got a start date of Monday. I'm excited about this job especially since they work 4 ten hour shifts. Every week is a three day weekend. What exactly I'll be doing I am not to certain, I know that I will be tracking munitions among my responsabilities

That kind of sums up what I have been doing for the last little while and why I hadn't posted. We are now just trying to unpack and work on the yard while adjusting to life in Utah. I will be certain to update on how the job goes.

Farewell Georgia

After spending 6 years in the South we are heading West in about 30 minutes. Having been planning on leaving for the last couple of days we were delayed waiting for a piece of mail that never came. So now we are loading the kids up and getting ready to make the 2100 mile trek. I will keep everyone updated of our progress just as soon as I can. This is Georgia, signing off.

Enjoy....or not

Two Little Bears

One just has to love the imagination of children. Whether the imagination leads to some level of household property destruction or pretending to be a bear, kids never will let you down. Last night we had a little "Wild Thursday" in which we just played and wrestled around. The girls ended up putting on a towel thingy with a bears head and pretended to be a bear while chasing me around. Bethany was a doll, when she had the bear thing on Katie and I called for Bethany (as if we did not know where she was), Bethany then removed the bear head and matter of fact stated "It's me Mama!"

I guess "Wild Thursday" worked because after the kids calmed down and got their PJ's on Bethany sat down on the love seat and just passed out.

The "Fun Machine"

During our excursion to SeaWorld a few weeks ago the kids really wanted to feed the dolphins (fine, I really wanted to feed the dolphins but used the kids as the excuse, and don't tell me you've never done that). Well, I noticed we needed more "fun" so I just went to the "Fun Machine." What a great invention, I can just walk up to it and BAM! Fun is at my fingertips. I did have to hit the fun machine one more time during the day, but I figure, no big deal. For one, I have decided not to participate in the recession and second I'm not doing anything the Federal Government isn't doing. I guess the point I am trying to make with my failed attempt at sarcasm is what allows the government to spend and spend but if I do it the bank will send me nasty letters. Sure I can survive for a little while but eventually I will have to choose between making a light payment or putting food on the table. Is our government going to reach the point of choosing between funding the military or cutting welfare? SO maybe if the right program is cut it will turn into a win-win situation after all. I just wish I had access to the government's Fun Machine.

I Haven't Forgotten

I know that I have been slacking off on updating the blog and I don't even have a good excuse. It's not that I am really busy, I just have a bunch of little stuff that I always need to do. Two little things just love making messes over and over again. Heidi has enjoyed the potty training and thinks of herself as queen while sitting on the throne. Which must be the reason she decided to use the fancy hand towels from Italy to wipe her behind. Only the best for my girl.

Heidi's Birthday

It is that time of the year again in which we have two children that are the same age....and are not twins. For Heidi's birthday we did a quick trip to Sea World and had a lot of fun looking at all the animals. We all got soaked early on when we went to the Killer Whale show. Heidi didn't mind, until she got salt water in her mouth. She spent the next minute with a napkin trying to wipe the taste off her tongue.

Overall we had a really good time. The girls loved feeding the stingrays and dolphins. Bethany figured out how to feed the dolphins pretty quick, Heidi however, just kind of chucked the fish in the water.

The trip did teach us a few lessons. First lesson, when possible spend two nights, the night before and the night of. Driving back kind of sucked and we were just beat when we got in. Lesson #2, when looking at getting the girls a souvenir toy a little angel on my right shoulder said to get them the stuffed animal and a little devil on my left should said to get them the plastic toy that squeaks. I listened to both of the voices and did the stupid thing and bought the squeaky toy. Let's just say Shamu is going to learn how to fly.

Isolation

After almost three weeks of Katie being gone she will finally be coming home tomorrow. I must admit, the initial not having to work, not having to go to school and being all alone was quite the novelty. However, as time progressed I started realizing that an old house with no one else gets kind of spooky. Not to mention, I started going a little nuts. Don't get me wrong, I always had stuff to do (sending out resumes, cleaning, organizing etc.) but I was home alone for most of it.

That is where the video clip comes into play, this is from a 1997 movie called "Rocketman". In this clip, the star is about to be tested to see how well he handles extreme isolation. I think I can relate just a little with him.

Well, I Finally Found It

It took awhile, but I was up to the challenge.

http://www.exactcenteroftheinternet.com/

Lowered Expectations

Being a temporary bachelor has really lowered my expectations, more then I had even thought possible. For example, I had a pretty hectic day today gathering information and working on getting my OCS packet together. I spent all morning on paper work and then spent 5 hours at the recruiters. Because of my busy day I am now contemplating on not doing anything tomorrow. I don't know if I have it in me to go and do stuff two days in a row. After all, I'm not training for the Olympics.

Anybody Ever See This?

I left a small tub of an imitation butter (you know the healthy "I can't believe it's not butter" kind of crap) out all night, and I am quite certain it turned into gasoline. Well, maybe not gasoline but some other flammable liquid. Then again, it could have been flammable all along.

My Tummy Hurts

Today I received a pleasant surprise package in the mail. Katie went to a See's Candies and mailed me a box of dark chocolates. Needless to say, the only thing I have eaten today is chocolate. Now, my stomach doesn't feel so good. I know this is teaching me a very important lesson, I just haven't figured what that lesson is.

This Is All in Good Fun

Leave It To the Church

When I am not frying my brain watching movies I work hard on frying my brain with pointless Internet surfing. I have never gotten into reality shows and so it is no surprise I missed this one. When I was checking IMDB to see who's birthdays it is today I saw a news blip that caught my eye. Making a long story short I saw the new Survivor is called "Survivor:Tocantins." This caught my attention because Tocantins was an area on my Mission. Having been there I can attest it is quite a lovely area. I just found the irony having a survivor show in a place where missionaries will live. Only the church could make that happen!

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/

I Spend Too Much Time on Hulu

Watch for "Crazy Carl"



This'll make you want to watch Doogie Howser

This is For My Sisters

This is For Greg (and any other Trekkie)

I Did It!!

I am not trying to brag (maybe just a little though), but I have finally finished my college degree!! It is still kind of surreal and hard to believe. I look back truly amazed at where I started and now where I am. I came into the Air Force June 3, 2003 with 3 credit hours. For the next 18 months I was immersed in AF training and was not even allowed to take a college class until I was fully qualified in my job. The week after I became qualified I signed up for classes, this was January 2005.

Since then, I have had two children, a tour in Iraq, completed an Associates Degree, lost 40 pounds, have gone TDY three times for weeks at a time, attended a three month leadership course, served in the Elders Quorum presidency, became an NCO and performed my normal duties while receiving high marks on all of my performance reviews.

For the first time in years, I can play a video game or watch a movie without feeling bad about a paper I have to write. Once again I say this not to brag, but to emphasize that if you want something bad enough, anything is possible.

The Master Plan

Here's the deal, Katie does not have internet access so she'll never know. But, I've got the kitchen completly clean and so from this point on I think I'm going to eat "Lean Cusines" so that the kitchen stays clean. Am I a genius or what??!!

Living the Bachelor's Life

So with Katie visiting her Mom, I have been left home alone. I suppose it is a good thing she took the kids, otherwise we might have ended up like this family.

My Fish is of the Devil

I know it sounds harsh, but I think my fish is possessed. First off, this fish (a fresh water Red Tailed Shark, aptly named "Sharky") is over 4 years old. He has survived being left overnight in our brokedown Durango in the middle of winter, not being fed for a couple of weeks and a cup of milk being poured into his tank. The latest feat is surviving this last month. With the move and all we kind of forgot about him. Last night Katie was able to get him situated. He had been living in about a half gallon of water, his tank was green with mold and we hadn't fed him in a month. Katie did a great job of cleaning the tank and Sharky is just fine. I am just waiting for his head to start spinning around.

My New Shoes

So as I have started doing Crossfit I have come to realize my running shoes are not the best for lifting weights. Some other individuals at Crossfit were wearing these crazy type of shoes, the guys said they swear by the shoes and my curiosity was aroused. Long story short, I found the local dealer and after trying on quite a few pairs I settled on one. I know they will take some getting used to, but so far so good. They are designed for all manner of outdoor activity, including running, trails, rock climbing and so forth. Now, all I need is to find a rock to climb.

So What's Going On?

I haven't posted in awhile so I thought it'd be good to update everyone. So here's the update, nothing new is happening.

But somethings are about to happen. I am currently 2.5 weeks away from finishing my B.S. degree (that's Bachelors of Science for those of you in Rio Linda) and at about the same time will be finishing my enlistment with the Air Force. What I will be doing afterwards is still up in the air. Ideas for what I will do after the Air Force range from eating fish tacos on the beaches of Cancun to offering my body for medical experiments. Any ideas from my followers are always appreciated.

Fire Safety

In the dangerous times it is best that we be prepared. Here is a video demonstrating fire safety.

A Mom's Best Kept Secret....

Well, we are officially in a house...with a foundation! We are very much excited about that. However, the girls are alread managing to destroy our new, clean place. Jake is getting ready for work as usual which is always the time that we talk with each other about our week plans and talking about life's decisions. At the very moment that we have these daily conversations the girls get into so much trouble! Heidi managed to get into the fridge and found a quart of Crystal Lite--the red kind, in a pitcher. Heidi took it out and failed miserably to drink it. So...I had giant puddles--correct, PUDDLES not PUDDLE, of Crystal Lite. Luckily, before we moved here we had purchased a Hoover Steam Vac! This thing is so wonderful! We had had a steam cleaner that came along with Duffie, but it had finallly bit the dust last fall. I love technology! I don't think I would have survived at all being a Pioneer woman, let alone a Pioneer woman with kids!

We Moved....Sort Of

Last Monday we finally got around to getting the big stuff out of the trailer. I no longer need to sugar coat the fact that we were living in a trailer and not technically a house. Monday was a really long day taking loads of crap over to the new house. Since I had time, I just put the stuff in the back of the U-Haul without trying to pack every nook and cranny. Overall, the move went well with just a few items remaining at the trailer. The first night here was kind of trippy since I haven't spent the night in a real house for over a year.

We do have a new phone number which I will be e-mailing out to everyone. But take a look at the link and you can see pictures of the house listing. If we knew we were going to be here longer I most likely would have just bought the place.

http://taylorsellshomes.com/irw/printlisting.php?lid=510118&oid=0&aoid=&aid=110870&cid=15495

Sick Day

Poor little Bethany has just not been doing well. In the middle of night on Friday she came into our room and scared the crap out of me. I was sound asleep and as I started stirring I noticed a figure just staring at me. It was like something out of a horror movie. At any rate, yesterday she was doing better. We even went out to eat at one of the Japanese steakhouses where they cook the food in front of you. The girls just loved it, especially when the guy lit the grill on fire. Today she is just resting up and hopefully will be back to her good 'ol self tomorrow.

Why So Serious?

So I come out of the office to see Heidi chugging a pitcher of Crystal Light. It is a miracle that she didn't dump the whole thing. It only would have been fitting since I just got done steam cleaning the carpet.

Other then that not to much has been going on. I worked 12 hour shifts all week so I am pretty exhausted. Oh, and on top of that we are going to be moving. Since we are going to be here a little longer then anticipated we figure a foundation (and I mean that in the most literal sense) will be nice. It will suck because we will essentially have two houses for the month of February but at least moving in shouldn't be too stressful.

The Day in the Life of a Mother......

Being a mother has many challenges, as we hear frequently of horror stories, gross stories, and everything else in between we are always thinking....."Let these things never happen to me." Today, to put honestly, has been quite a day. Among the usual cleaning up of piles of toilet paper near the toilet, following the diaper trail that Heidi, my two-year old, who is "interested" in learning how to use the Potty, only when it suits her time table.....among the other little adventures that only comes with having a two-year old and a three-year old. Now, mind you I have two little girls and so I know the trials that I face are in no comparison of having rowdy boys, however....I have felt today that maybe I am being prepared for boys with the different messes I have had to clean up today. Just as Duffie has prepared us for our girls, maybe our girls are preparing us for something else. In a nutshell, these are "some" of the things I have had to clean up today. Before I go into detail of the events, I do watch my children...they are just becoming very sneaky, creative, and lets face it....KIDS! Here are the events in no particular order:

-Heidi dumps the whole box of Cheerios on the living room floor. Cleaning up the cheerios, I have discovered that the vacuum is clogged up.
-Bethany and Heidi decide that a container of Romano cheese should belong on our tread climber and spread all over the kitchen table.
-We then find the sequel of the Romano cheese all over the girls room. Including one bed. Since my vacuum is clogged up from the previous Cheerio mess, I have to dig through the closet to bring out "Bertha", our shop vac to get the job done in both rooms.
-Heidi finds a baggy of Jake's whey protein powder. I will leave your imagination to fill in the rest.
-We recently received a dry erase board. We thought it would be great for us, however we didn't think about the example we would send our kids.....since the board is hanging on the wall, Bethany sees Daddy writing on the wall and wants to become like Daddy. You probably see what is to come next, to keep it short I have a 3-feet long, 2-feet wide personal "Picasso" from Bethany now on my wall in the kitchen, complete with perfect smiley faces! However, she did know only to write with the dry erase marker!
-Heidi, is back in the bathroom discovering that the toilet makes really cool sounds when you try to flush change down the toilet. I then find myself washing quarters with antibacterial soap?

There you have it, and the day hasn't even ended yet! While I am writing this, Heidi is in her secret kitchen cupboard, her "cubby" with a small bag of Goldfish crackers. Bethany is worn out from the spanking and time out she received from writing on the wall, she has crashed out on the living room coach. Myself, I don't know what to do......search fanatically for some chocolate in the house, or be a good girl and hit the tread climber while smelling remnants of Romano cheese! What I do know is that I am in need of a date night ASAP! I say this while Heidi is trying to get into the Cocoa powder..... A good thing they are my kids and that I love them and their crazy messes.

Give the Kid A Break

So as I was taking a break from homework I came across a picture on the Internet. All I can say is take it easy on the kid. Because, I bet, if the park/family gives the kid a hard time the kid may be scarred for life. You never know. :)

Check Out the Crossfit Link

Last night I didn't get to bed till after 1. When my alarm went off at 7:30 for me to go work out I was really tempted to sleep in. After all, it was cold out and my bed was nice and toasty. Not to mention, Bethany hasn't been feeling well and slept in our bed last night and she was being really sweet. So I got my rear out of bed and started getting ready. I then made the mistake of checking on the computer what the workout for today was going to be then I really didn't want to get up. The workout was as follows:

5 rounds for time of:
7 cycles through the following complex (the Bear):
1 Power Clean
1 Front Squat
1 Push Press
1 Overhead Squat
1 Back Squat
1 Push Press-
do not set the bar down during the 7 times through the Bear (you may set it down between each round)- continue increasing (or decreasing) the weight each round until you determine the most weight you can use while not setting down the bar for 7 cycle

You do all those exercises and that constitutes 1 cycle. Completing 7 cycles counts as 1 round. And as you already read you need to do 5 rounds. Oh, and did I mention the bar can only touch the floor at the end of each round? If the bar does touch the ground that counts as a foul and you need to do 30 jumping lunges. (Also, this is just the main workout and doesn't even count the warm-up of back extensions, crunches, squats etc.)


To make a long story short I went to the workout and actually had a good time. It was a killer but the bar never touched the ground and I kept increasing weight. Then at the end I was still able to knock 7 quick pull-ups. So, check out the link for Crossfit Valdosta and you'll see me resting while in the middle of the work out.

To Counter That Last Post

After I posted the last video I feared for the many brain cells being killed. In order to help counter that I thought it best to put a video portraying the wit of one the greatest President's our country has ever seen.

Important Skills

As I was thinking about my last post and the importance of exercising, I began to wonder what to do with this new found strength. Luckily I found the following video which has taught me how to put my strength to use and protect my family.

The Things We Do

Why do we workout? Everyone says that working out makes you feel better. I have to be honest, I feel pretty good eating pizza and watching a movie. Nevertheless, I still get up early in the morning, drive 25 minutes, go past the gym I can get into for free and workout so hard I am sore everyday. So I have to ask myself, why do I do this? Is it because society says we need to look a certain way? Maybe. Or is it so that when I see Jeff again I can school him on how to arm wrestle (which will happen anyway)? Whatever the reason, I know my blood pressure is excellent and I am in the best shape of my life and only getting better. Hopefully I can set a good example for my girls. Just FYI, in the picture I was doing ring dips are a lot harder then they look.

Happy New Year!

So 2008 is behind us.....finally. Thank goodness, 2008 was pretty crappy. I'm not even to sure why it was crappy, it just was. I'm sure a lot of it stems from school, I've been going to school for so long and knew that I wasn't going to graduate until 2009. The feeling that 2009 was never going to come and with it my college degree, is no longer present. So let us press on, make those resolutions and see what this year holds.

On a different note, I just thought I'd share what we did today. We went to go see Marley & Me and for the first time we almost made it all the way to the end of the movie. We did see the ending, but we were standing up on the side holding the girls trying to keep them quiet. The trick was one of the kids falling asleep after the start of the movie and making sure the other kid had a large popcorn and a bag of Sour Patch Kids. Overall, the movie was enjoyable and of course made us reflect on Duffie. I have never fought with an animal (or human for that matter) so much but we sure did love that mangy dog. I think Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he created dogs and their ability to love unconditionally.